Addidas Grand Prix: chilly weather equals chilly performances

With the wind, heavy mist and cool temperatures of about 16 degrees C, Saturday's Addidas Grand Prix in New York offered lukewarm to chilly performances. Athletes who braved the weather to line up for their respective events turned in times way off their personal bests.

In the mens 100 metres Jamaica's Steve Mullings got the better of his training partner Tyson Gay. Steve won in a photo finish with both athletes clocking 10.26. Keston Bledman of Trinidad and Tobago was third in 10.33. Gay blames the loss on his sluggish start but insists he will be ready for Usain Bolt come time for World Championships.

Interestingly there were three false starts for this race. First, Richard Thompson of Trinidad and Tobago jumped early, then the Americans Travis Padgett and Rae Monzavous Edwards were cited for starting too soon. All three were disqualified. This is a perfect example of just what the new IAAF false start rule (Once and you're out) will mean for athletes in major finals. Can you imagine an Olympic or world championship final where key stars false start? That would spell disaster for meet organizers who will most likely bill the event around expected performances of major stars. Case in point recently at the Eugene meet, world 200m champion Allyson Felix was allowed to start the 400m despite a clear false start. In fact there was an obvious look of surprise on Felix's face when she found out she was not disqualified. You see meet organizers had billed the event as a show down between Felix and Sanya Richards Ross- A show down which did not materialize as Felix finished 3rd and Richards Ross way down the field.

But lets get back to the wet Addidas Grand Prix. Marshevet Hooker-Myers won the women's 100m with a time of 11.36, no where near the 10.85 she ran in Eugene. The same for the women's 200m where Felix bested the field clocking only 22.92 more than a half-second off her season best.
100m Olympic and World champion Shellyann Fraser-Pryce placed a dismal 7th a rather disappointing performance after her excellent run less than a month ago at the Jamaica Invitational meet.

The less than ideal weather conditions appeared to have no such impact on the mens 400 metres. In a scintillating race, Jeremy Wariner the 2004 Olympic champion, won the race in 45.13 just narrowly beating out Jamaica's Jermaine Gonzales who showed brilliant speed in the last 20 metres to clock 45.17.